AEA seeks raises over longer period

MONTGOMERY | The state’s largest teacher association has lowered its sights on pay raises for educators and support personnel in the 2013 legislative session that begins Feb. 5.

By Dana BeyerleMontgomery Bureau Chief

MONTGOMERY | The state’s largest teacher association has lowered its sights on pay raises for educators and support personnel in the 2013 legislative session that begins Feb. 5.Alabama Education Association executive secretary Henry Mabry originally sought pay raises of 10 percent over two years for public K-12 employees. But with budget realities and a still shaky economy, a raise over two years is not realistic, Mabry said last week.“Actually because of revenues, we’re looking at 10 percent over three years,” Mabry said. “We’ve been talking about two (years) but because of other revenue situations as well as other needs in education we’ve got to be cognizant of needs and respectfully seek raises over three years.”Mabry made the pitch for teachers and support personnel who have not have an across-the-board raise since the 2008 recession year. Benefit costs have increased and are likely to increase more and teacher layoffs and retirements have reduced classroom teaching numbers.“We cannot lose any more personnel,” Mabry said. “We already lost 12,500 since the beginning of recession.”Mabry said education has taken hits “all across the board.”“We’ve got programs hurting, we’ve got teachers and lunchroom people and other support people who have had more put on them to do and there’s money out of their pockets when (higher benefit costs) took effect last year,” he said.Sen. Trip Pittman, R-Montrose, chairman of the Senate Finance and Taxation Education Committee, said teachers deserve raises, but he said raises of even 3.3 percent a year may not be possible.“I know the governor and Rep. (Jay) Love and the finance director are talking hopefully about being able to give some pay raise,” Pittman said. “Right now there’s enough for some raise. The reality is we have to balance the budget and keep it sustainable.”Love, R-Montgomery, is chairman of the House Ways and Means Education Committee.Pittman said the Teachers Retirement System is asking for an additional $100 million and said $52 million of it will have to come from the appropriated Foundation Program.“That’s the equivalent of 2 percent,” Pittman said. “Barring an improved economy, it’s apparent at this time we wouldn’t be able to afford anywhere near what Dr. Mabry is asking for.”Another budget item is repayment of $423 million from the Alabama Trust Fund rainy-day account that was tapped during the recession. Republican budget chairmen say they want to repay about half of the outstanding amount in the next budget year.The school budget that legislators will be considering in the 2013 session is for the 2013-14 fiscal year that begins Oct. 1.Mabry said he believes the economy will continue to improve in 2014 and 2015, a situation that will help with tax revenues.Mabry is starting his second year as the AEA executive secretary after the retirement of longtime AEA chief Paul Hubbert at the end of 2011. Besides coping with tight budgets, Mabry inherited a legislative initiative that banned direct payroll deductions for AEA dues.The AEA filed a lawsuit, which is pending. A judge halted the dues checkoff ban while the lawsuit is ongoing, Mabry said.Other education programs need money, he said.“We’re supportive of putting more money into the pre-kindergarten program,” he said. “It’s a long-term solution to some of the difficulties we see with our young people and elementary school and middle school and high school.”Mabry said a crucial issue in the 2013 session is keeping teachers and support personnel that are employed now and to address school safety.“We’ve had a billion dollars in education cuts since the recession, and we’ve got the rainy-day fund issue and we’ve got larger class sizes,” Mabry said. “We’re not going to be able to keep our best people if we don’t keep the compensation competitive.School safety in the wake of the Newtown, Conn., school slayings will cost money.“At a lot of schools, entry is less than desired on a safety standpoint,” he said. “If we could retrofit our schools, a lot of problems would be solved.”Mabry said the AEA opposes identical House and Senate bills that he believes will allow back-door access for charter schools. “This legislation is wrongheaded,” he said. “It would certainly affect our membership and it would affect schoolchildren more importantly.”He said the proposed legislation “obliterates any oversight from accountability and allows waivers of current state laws and education regulations.”